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— Cole, after Baird and Sam discussed the Locust's savage tactics during the Lambent Pandemic

The Boomshot fires a delayed-fuse, high-explosive shell that creates a large explosion upon impact, followed by the detonation of about three to five small "bomblets" that create a series of secondary explosions which are comparable to a cluster bomb. The shell is loaded into the Boomshot via a drum magazine. When fired, the shell emerges from the main barrel and the guiding fins ride along the four tubes that surround it. While Boomers are exclusively equipped with the Boomshot, Drones and Gears are also capable of wielding it.

The weapon's iron sights are woefully impractical, providing no elevation or depression markers whatsoever. It is likely that the weapon is devoid of practical sights because it is designed for use by Boomers, whose role is to spread havoc in the enemies' general direction. For the weapon to be used effectively though, the user should fire at medium to long ranges, though it can be used at longer distances. The Boomshot is capable of taking down multiple enemies at once. Even a near-miss can still kill or badly wound an enemy.

The Boomshot is fundamentally a large, heavy length of steel, so it does a large amount of damage if someone is hit by its melee attack. It's not only a powerful ranged gun, but a lethal close-combat tool as well.

This weapon appears on most multiplayer maps and, if used properly, it can kill at medium to extreme range. However, it should never be used at close range, as the explosion will kill the user as well. This weapon should be used for setting up ambushes that can seriously hurt an enemy, followed by Lancer bursts to finish them off. This is one of the weapons that can be recommended to switch with the Shotgun. After the recent patch, the Boomshot has increased splash damage, making kills far more efficient and the weapon itself deadlier. On the map Gridlock, there is a central bell tower with a small tunnel through it, in which the grenade launcher is located, referred to by some players as the "Boomshot Tunnel". The Boomshot kills instantly with a direct hit, but that is somewhat difficult to achieve. Therefore, most players tend to aim for the ground around an enemy's feet. This will ensure maximum damage is dealt to the player and, in some cases, can kill multiple players if others are nearby.

A player wielding the Boomshot.

Most often in multiplayer, the player who wields the Boomshot can easily get a kill with it every round. However, with proper tactical use, the grenade launcher can prove to be a much deadlier weapon. For example, most players know that the Boomshot does plenty of splash damage, but few are aware of the fragmentation effect of the grenade upon impact. You can hit a player on higher ground behind cover by using an active reload shot to hit the nearby walls or ceiling. The explosive effects of the grenade after impact gravitate downwards, easily downing the unsuspecting opponent if done correctly. This technique works very well on Gridlock against snipers taking cover in the central raised platform.

With practice, you can often land a shell at long to extreme range with fair accuracy. Because of this, it's a weapon of choice for clearing out Longshot-armed Snipers in areas that would otherwise be difficult to access.

Another technique used by more experienced players is baiting. Many players, even the more astute ones, will rush to a downed teammate's aid if they do not appear to be in danger. A useful tactic with the Boomshot is to down an opponent with some non-Boomshot weapon, then retreat to a distance and watch for approaching teammates. Once some unsuspecting fool goes to revive their squadmate, a well-timed Boomshot can take them both out with one shot, so long as the projectile hits directly. It is also helpful if the shot is timed to impact after the player is revived. In this way, the shooter gets 15+25+25=65 points for the whole ordeal, as opposed to 15+10+25=50 for killing the downed player before he gets back up.

As with any weapon, of course, there are counter-tactics to the Boomshot as well. When a player with a Boomshot has an advantage in position, sometimes the best defense is to stand in plain sight and appear as an easy target. If the opponent doesn't have the patience to wait for a more certain shot, they will likely waste an attempt at a direct hit, which can be easily evaded if anticipated; a side roll can often dodge an oncoming grenade. If the opponent attempts to advance through taking cover, the best defense is to get in their face as fast as possible with well-timed maneuvers. That way, if you do go down, they will likely explode along with you. One caveat - don't get within melee range unless you're packing a Lancer or Torque Bow. The Boomshot is one of the beefiest melee weapons around, and only those two weapons are stronger. Make note and fight smart.

The Torque Bow's superior range and accuracy over the Boomshot make it a good counter-weapon for dealing with it. The Gnasher is a good choice when you get up close. At extreme range, the Longshot works, but is fairly risky; many Boomshot users are veterans and skilled in busting Snipers with the weapon, so if you do use the Longshot, pick at them from unexpected angles.

The projectile leaving the Boomshot.

The Boomshot has four distinct affiliation lights on the front of it in Gears of War 2, so you can see when the weapon is aimed in your direction. If you see those lights, and they're not from your team, get away.

Finally, make note that the Boomshot, much like the Torque Bow, has an unusual system in regards to kills and suicides. If you blow yourself up when trying to take down an enemy, the game tabulates the kill differently depending on who died first. If the explosion kills you before your opponent, the victory goes to the enemy, whereas if the explosion kills the opponent first, it's yours. This will rarely come up outside of Warzone or Execution, but it's vital to know regardless.

The Boomshot has two small "affiliation lights" located on either side of its magazine. These will change blue or red depending on whether the wielder is a Gear or Locust, respectively.

In Gears of War 2, the Boomshot has four more affiliation lights on the barrel, near the muzzle. These make the weapon quite visible from the front.

Going by measurements of characters (Benjamin Carmine, for example, is about 6' tall), and scaling it to put it on-par with other modern-day grenade launchers, the Boomshot's massive barrel has at least a 60mm Bore.

It is rather strange that the Boomshot has a drum magazine and a pump, as the drum magazine only has a single grenade in it. Most real life grenade launchers do not need a cocking mechanism either since the next round cycles itself.

Even though, as mentioned, it's not safe to fire at close range since you can commit suicide, Boomers will fire their Boomshots at point-blank range due to their stupidity. They somehow don't seem to be affected at all by this suicidal move.

Looking closely, Boomers can be seen pumping it as if it is a shotgun. The gun is also noticeably longer when empty, but the barrel is pushed back again when the drum is inserted, locking it in place, almost looking like a shotgun-pump. Also, the equipping noise of the Boomshot when you have it is the same as the shotgun's in Gears 1.

A clever trick sometimes used by players that are out of ammunition in multiplayer is to just aim the Boomshot at an enemy because the Boomshot is an intimidating weapon nonetheless.

If you continue to disrupt the reload process, Ex. switching guns, the drum will be ejected, but if you switch to another gun then back before reloading, the drum will be ejected again. This can continue indefinitely.

Oddly enough, Boomers in Gears of War seem to be more affected by the recoil than the player.

In Gears of War 3, it is possible to score a headshot with the Boomshot.

In the original Gears of War, the Boomshot was rather hard to maintain in the campaign. It was dropped only by Boomers, which were rather rare, and you could not find additional ammunition for the weapon except by killing additional Boomers. In Gears of War 2, the Boomshot is much more useful, as you can find Locust-made ammunition crates that provide ammo for the Boomshot and other Locust weapons. This relaxes the restrictions one would otherwise face when deciding whether or not to use the Boomshot, and generally makes it a lot more useful.